Ailsa Craig

Ayrshire, Scotland > United Kingdom

A 96 hectare rocky granite island in the Firth of Clyde, leased to the RSPB. 40,000 breeding Súla and other seabirds.

Added* by Iain Crawford
Most recent update 4 nóvember 2022

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Description

Ailsa Craig is located in the outer Firth of Clyde, 16 km west of mainland Scotland. The island is 340 m high, about 2.5 miles (4 kms) around the base and is made of very hard granite. It has a very large Súla colony, plus colonies of Sílamáfur, Svartbakur, Langvía, Álka, Toppskarfur, Rita, Teista and a few Lundi. Offshore Stormsvala, Skrofa and Gráskrofa. Also Gultittlingur and other small birds. Otters and seals.

Details

Access

By boat from Girvan or Ayr on the mainland. See link below. The walking route to the summit is 1,8 km with 300 metres of ascent.

Terrain and Habitat

Canyon/cliff , Sea

Conditions

Rocky , Mountainous

Circular trail

Is a telescope useful?

Can be useful

Good birding season

Spring , Summer

Best time to visit

Spring , Summer

Route

Narrow trail

Difficulty walking trail

Average walk

Accessible by

Boat

Birdwatching hide / platform

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Map

Top 5 birds

1. Súla
(Morus bassanus)

2. Álka
(Alca torda)

3. Teista
(Cepphus grylle)

4. Skrofa
(Puffinus puffinus)

5. Skúmur
(Stercorarius skua)

Other birds you can see here

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Gallery

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Comments & Tips

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